SSFL to elect new president; Fraser, Gonzales and West bid to replace Wallace


The Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) will elect a new president on 4 September with Phillip Fraser, Merere Louis Gonzales and Derek West challenging for the top position.

The post of SSFL president was made vacant on 6 July when William Wallace resigned, in the midst of several scandals related to his tenure as Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president.

Photo: Trinity College East goalkeeper Kahlil Oliver (centre) prepares to attack the ball during their East Zone Intercol final contest with San Juan North at the Larry Gomes Stadium on 21 November 2018.
(Copyright Kerlon Orr/CA-Images/Wired868)

Fraser, who is also the SSFL first vice-president, has acted as interim president since Wallace’s departure. Fraser is a retired San Juan North Secondary vice-principal, as well as a director at Pro League club, San Juan Jabloteh.

Gonzales is the current SSFL East Zone chairman, a retired teacher at Success RC and Mt Hope Secondary and was assistant referee at the France 1998 Fifa World Cup. He also serves as a lay minister at the Maloney, D’Abadie and Mausica RC churches.


Derek West is the principal of Trinity College East and a respected voice behind the scenes within the school’s game, although he does not hold a SSFL position.

  • Fraser was nominated by San Juan North Secondary and seconded by San Juan Secondary.
  • Gonzales was nominated by Queen’s Royal College and seconded by Arima North Secondary.
  • West was nominated by Fyzabad Secondary and seconded by St Benedict’s College.
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4 comments

  1. “…William Wallace resigned, in the midst of several scandals related to his tenure as Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president.”

    “…several scandals,” Wired868? Are we talking about William Wallace or about David John-Williams? Or Jack Warner?

    I shall invite Mr Wallace to make the site a gift of a thesaurus at Christmas. Or perhaps before that, when the Court finds in United TTFA’s favour.

    • Hello Earl. Those would be: Terry Fenwick’s contract, Ramesh Ramdhan’s contract, Peter Miller’s contract, and the Avec Sport contract details. For me, those qualified as several and they are the reason why the SSFL no longer felt comfortable about Wallace remaining as its president.

      • I have no problem with “several. “Is “scandals,” however, in your view, an accurate descriptor of the events relating to the four contracts you cite?
        Does that substantive not suggest a certain high degree of malice aforethought which is hardly borne out by the facts such as Wired868 has thus far described them?

        Wallace–full disclosure–is my friend so maybe I am being overly protective of his reputation. But might “ïrregularities,” “slip-ups,” “questionable transactions,” “ërrors of judgement” or “misjudgements” not all have been arguably more accurate and certainly kinder options?

        Not that journalists have any obligation to be kind. They do, however, have an obligation to be fair.

        Not sure that, with “scandals,” you contrived to stay on the right side of that line. And your focus on “several” in your initial response speaks volumes, methinks…

        • Hello. I understand your position. By definition, though, ‘scandal’ is an action ‘regarded’ as ‘morally or legally wrong’. I think the four things I pointed to are at least one or the other. And some might be both. So my position, subjective as it might be, is that they qualify as scandals.

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